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Luai brings new hope to Wests Tigers before same old result
Scott Bailey, AAP • March 7th, 2025 11:30 pm
Jarome Luai has played his first game in Wests Tigers colours | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Jarome Luai's 14-month wait to begin the Wests Tigers' rebuild has ended in heartache, cruelled by a matter of millimetres in a 10-8 loss to Newcastle.
Some 429 days after signing with the Tigers, Luai let out a roar on entering Campbelltown Stadium on Friday night.
The biggest-name recruit in the club's 25-year history helped lay on the Tigers' first try, leading the club with Apisai Koroisau on the sideline suspended.
But after the Tigers led 8-0 for the majority of the night, they conceded twice in the space of 15 minutes to slump to another season-opening loss.
The heartbreaker came with 13 minutes to play, when Greg Marzhew collected a wayward Bradman Best pass within millimetres of the sideline.
The Newcastle winger then nearly touched the white stripe again, before changing direction and barging over to give his side a match-winning 10-8 lead.
Much has been made of Luai's arrival, with the four-time premiership player trying to turn around a club that has collected three straight wooden spoons.
The halfback played with typical high energy and tempo, helping send a fending Jeral Skelton in for the Tigers' only try after an Alex Twal offload.
He also saved another try, batting down a Kalyn Ponga pass when the Knights fullback looked certain to put Phoenix Crossland over.
"It was just a raw emotion," Luai said.
"Comparing it to when I debuted in the NRL, it felt like that. It's been a big pre-season, and emotion all came out getting the opportunity to lead the boys out.
"A bit anxious leading up to this point. A lot of chatter around it. But definitely good to get the first hit out.
"We showed a lot of resilience. There is a lot of improvement but I am proud of how my boys went."
And while all eyes were on Luai, fellow recruit Terrell May also proved there is more than just one man able to turn the Tigers around this year.
The discarded Sydney Roosters forward played the first 54 minutes of the game unchanged, and finished with 175 run metres and five offloads.
Jeral Skelton barges his way to score the Tigers' only try against the Knights | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Wests Tigers will also take hope from the fact they will have Koroisau and fullback Jahream Bula (shoulder) back next week against Parramatta.
But after all that, it was still the same old result for the battling club against a Newcastle side that were at times their own worst enemy.
The Knights bombed multiple chances, with balls put into touch or errors close to the line.
But in the second half, Newcastle's key players were able to stand up.
Ponga got his foot back into the in-goal to claim a 20m tap when a Luai bomb went marginally long, changing the momentum of the game.
From the ensuing set, Dylan Lucas stepped several Tigers to make a 30m break, before Fletcher Sharpe went over from dummy-half on the next play.
And when they trailed 8-6 with 13 minutes to go, it was a Jack Cogger break out of his own end that put the Knights on the attack for Marzhew's try.
"We were nervous, frustrated and anxious," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.
"We worked hard in the second half. But we can play a hell of a lot better, and we need to."
O'Brien was pleased his side kept the Tigers to only one try in the first half despite only a 53 percent completion rate, and scoreless in the second half.
"But it's still not acceptable, and we can play better," he said.
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